LINKING ARM ASSEMBLY
A linking arm assembly incorporating an improved connection between an elongated rod portion and an engagement element such as a ball stud or the like adapted to join the linking arm to another structure. The linking arm assembly may incorporate an improved ball and socket connection. The socket may include an arrangement of flexible rib elements that are compressed when the ball stud is inserted so as to bias against the ball during use. Accordingly, a potentially loose condition may be avoided thereby reducing the possibility for noise or failure over time.
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This non-provisional application claims the benefit of, and priority from, U.S. Provisional Application 61/768,754 filed Feb. 25, 2013. The contents of such provisional application and any other patent documents referenced in this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to a linking arm assembly, and is more particularly directed to a linking arm assembly having an improved operative connection between a rod portion and an engagement element such as a ball stud or the like adapted to join the linking arm to another structure.
BACKGROUNDIn many operational environments one or more linking arm assemblies may be operatively connected to a structure for use in monitoring the position of that structure relative to a defined reference position. In many of these linking arm assemblies, a rod extends between a pair of socket heads or other attachment elements at either end of the rod. The attachment element at one end of the rod is attached to a ball stud or other engagement element at the structure to be monitored, and the attachment element at the other end is operatively connected to a reference structure or is allowed to articulate in a defined manner. The rod may include one or more sensors which monitor the relative positions of the ends. Changes in spacing and/or relative position of the ends can thus be monitored, thereby indicating changes in position. The linking arm assembly is not generally required to carry a significant load. However, the linking arm assembly may be subjected to substantial vibration and high frequency articulating movement during use. Such linking arm assemblies may be used in conjunction with a vehicle computer to monitor headlight leveling, suspension ride height and the like. By way of example only, a linking arm assembly in accordance with the present disclosure may find application as a vehicle ride height sensor linkage. Such a linkage establishes a connection between the vehicle's moveable suspension and a sensor, such as a wheel sensor or the like, which provides position information to an electronic control unit. Of course, such assemblies may likewise be used for any number of other purposes as well.
In some prior linking arms, establishing and maintaining a secure connection between the linking arm and the attached socket structures has required relatively complex assembly practices. Accordingly, a linking arm assembly which promotes secure connection between components while reducing the complexity of the assembly process represents a useful advancement over the current art.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure supplies advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing a linking arm assembly incorporating an improved connection between an elongated rod portion and an engagement element such as a ball stud or the like adapted to join the linking arm to another structure. The linking arm assembly may incorporate an improved ball and socket connection incorporating a compression socket adapted to surround a proximal portion of a ball stud. The socket may include an arrangement of surfaces inside the socket that are compressed when the ball of a ball stud is inserted so as to continuously bias against the ball during use. The pre-compression aids in centering the ball within the socket. In addition, the spring biasing provides adjustment for diameter variations between the ball and socket due to manufacturing tolerances or wear over time. Accordingly, the joint will avoid a potentially “loose” condition thereby reducing the possibility for noise or failure over time.
In accordance with one exemplary aspect, the present disclosure provides a linking arm assembly adapted to receive and retain a ball stud. The assembly includes an elongated insertable rod including a terminal end with a plurality of radially projecting, spaced-apart surface ribs disposed adjacent the terminal end. The surface ribs define raised surfaces with an intermediate depression between the surface ribs with the terminal end projecting outboard away from the surface ribs. The assembly further includes at least a first socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the terminal end of the rod. The socket head includes a socket cradle, a resilient proximal body segment extending away from the socket cradle in a first direction, and a distal collar segment extending away from the socket cradle in a second direction transverse to the proximal body segment. The proximal body segment includes an interior channel adapted to receive the terminal end of the rod. The distal collar segment defines a stud insertion passageway substantially aligned with a concave socket cavity within the socket cradle. The assembly may further include a flexible sealing boot having a first end adapted for disposition in sealing relation about the distal collar segment and a second end adapted to sealingly surround a portion of the ball stud outboard from the ball structure.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings.
Before the exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is in no way limited in its application or construction to the details and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for purposes of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. The use herein of terms such as “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSReference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like elements are designated by like reference numerals in the various views. Referring now jointly to
As best seen through joint reference to
As shown, in the exemplary construction each end of the rod 12 includes opposing outboard terminal ends 15 with a set of spaced-apart surface ribs 16 disposed in adjacent, inboard relation to each of the terminal ends 15. As best seen in
As shown, in accordance with one exemplary practice, the surface ribs 16 may be in the form of ring segments disposed at each planar surface of the rod 12 so as to cooperatively extend substantially about the circumference of the rod 12. However, it is likewise contemplated that one or more surfaces on the rod 12 may be free from surface ribs 16 if desired such that surface ribs 16 do not extend completely about the circumference of the rod 12. As illustrated, the surface ribs 16 may define raised arcs extending between adjacent corners of the rod 12 with the apex of the arcs disposed substantially at the center of each planar face on the rod 12. However, other radially projecting constructions may likewise be used.
As best seen in
In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, each of the socket heads 14 may have a generally “L” shaped construction incorporating a proximal body segment 20 of open-ended tubular construction extending away from a generally bowl-shaped socket cradle 22. In the illustrated construction, the socket heads 14 may also include a distal collar segment 24 of substantially hollow ring construction oriented in substantially aligned relation to the socket cradle 22. In practice, the socket heads 14 may be molded as unitary structures from thermoplastic materials such as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), or other similar material which is adapted to deform and recover resiliently in response to installation forces.
As illustrated, the proximal body segment 20 of each of the socket heads 14 may include an access opening 26 leading into a rod receiving channel adapted to receive a complimentary terminal end 15 of the rod 12 in press-fit relation at the interior of the proximal body segment. In this regard, the access opening 26 may have a perimeter geometry substantially matching the circumferential geometry and size of the rod 12 so as to provide a snug fit. However, other shapes may likewise be used if desired. As best seen in
As will be appreciated, the combination of the sine-wave profile defined by the surface ribs 16 and the mating profile at the interior of the proximal body segment 20 may aid in providing a secure tension-fit connection between the rod 12 and the socket head 14 by providing interference against undesired withdrawal of the rod 12. Moreover, such an arrangement may facilitate a snap-in assembly procedure whereby a person can feel the rod 12 snap into place in the final desired orientation within the proximal body segment 20 during the assembly process. In this regard, as the rod 12 is inserted into the proximal body segment 20, the outermost surface rib will first encounter a radially inwardly projecting detent 28 defining a cusp between scalloped indentures at the interior of the proximal body segment 20 and the proximal body segment 20 will deform resiliently to permit passage of the relatively rigid surface rib. As the rod 12 is then pushed further inwardly, the detent 28 may snap back into place in substantial alignment with the depression 18 between the surface ribs 16 (
Referring now to
As shown, in the exemplary construction, the socket cradle 22 houses an interior socket cavity 50 (
Referring now jointly to
As best seen in
As will be appreciated, the flexible socket cradle 22 and flexible interior ribs 66 may facilitate ease of ball insertion during assembly. Moreover, the flexible interior ribs 66 of resilient character may provide a level of precompression to establish torque at levels to achieve desired performance and durability.
As will be understood, a linking arm assembly in accordance with the present disclosure may be readily adapted to a wide variety of environments by changing the length and/or geometry of the rod. By way of example only, and not limitation,
In some environments of use it may be desirable to provide a substantially high ball stud pull out force. For such applications the socket cavity may be constructed to enhance the surface area contacting the ball structure while nonetheless permitting relative rotation as may be desired. Referring now to
In the illustrated exemplary socket head 214 of
In the exemplary construction illustrated in
While various spatial and directional terms, such as upper, horizontal, vertical, front and the like may used to describe embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that such terms are merely used with respect to the orientations shown in the drawings. The orientations may be inverted, rotated, or otherwise changed, such that an upper portion is a lower portion, and vice versa, horizontal becomes vertical, and the like.
Of course, variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the disclosure herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the contents of the disclosure. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the fullest extent permitted by the prior art.
Claims
1. A linking arm assembly adapted to receive and retain a ball stud, the assembly comprising:
- an elongated rod comprising a terminal end with at least one radially projecting surface rib disposed adjacent the terminal end and wherein the surface rib defines a raised surface, the terminal end projecting outboard from the surface rib;
- at least a first socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the terminal end of the rod, wherein the socket head includes a socket cradle, a resilient proximal body segment extending away from the socket cradle in a first direction, and a distal collar segment extending away from the socket cradle in a second direction, the proximal body segment including an interior channel adapted to receive the terminal end of the rod with an access opening facing away from the socket cradle, the distal collar segment defining a stud insertion passageway substantially aligned with a concave socket cavity within the socket cradle adapted to receive and retain a ball structure of the ball stud; and
- a flexible sealing boot having a first end adapted for disposition in sealing relation about the distal collar segment and a second end adapted to sealingly surround a portion of the ball stud outboard from the ball structure.
2. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the surface rib has a substantially rounded nose profile with upper and lower curved surfaces extending to outer edge of the surface rib.
3. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the socket head is substantially “L” shaped.
4. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the interior channel is molded in substantial relief to the terminal end of the rod.
5. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein sidewalls of the interior channel include a molded-in substantially sine-wave interior profile adapted to fit in mated relation with the terminal end of the rod.
6. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein the access opening to the interior channel has a perimeter geometry substantially matching the cross section of the rod.
7. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the socket cavity is substantially bowl-shaped.
8. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein depressed grease grooves extend along walls of the socket cavity in a hub and spoke pattern.
9. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein raised interior ribs extend along walls of the socket cavity in a hub and spoke pattern.
10. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 9, wherein one of the raised interior ribs is disposed between a pair of flaps arranged in a “V” pattern, the flaps defining leaf spring elements adapted to engage and apply continuous biasing force against the ball structure within the socket cavity during rotation.
11. A linking arm assembly adapted to receive and retain a ball stud, the assembly comprising:
- an elongated rod of polymeric cross section comprising a first terminal end and a second terminal end, a first plurality of radially projecting, spaced-apart surface ribs disposed adjacent the first terminal end and a second plurality of radially projecting, spaced-apart surface ribs disposed adjacent the second terminal end, wherein the surface ribs define raised surfaces with an intermediate depression between the surface ribs, the first terminal end and the second terminal end each projecting outboard from adjacent surface ribs, the surface ribs defining an effective diameter which is greater than the effective diameter of the adjacent terminal ends and greater than the effective diameter of the portion of the rod inboard from the surface ribs;
- a first socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the first terminal end and a second socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the second terminal end, wherein each of the socket heads includes a socket cradle, a resilient proximal body segment extending away from the socket cradle in a first direction, and a distal collar segment extending away from the socket cradle in a second direction, the proximal body segment of each socket head including an interior channel with an access opening facing away from the associated socket cradle, the interior channels each adapted to receive a terminal end of the rod, the distal collar segment of each socket head defining a stud insertion passageway substantially aligned with a concave socket cavity within the socket cradle adapted to receive and retain a ball structure of a ball stud; and
- a flexible sealing boot having a first end adapted for disposition in sealing relation about the distal collar segment and a second end adapted to sealingly surround a portion of the ball stud outboard from the ball structure.
12. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the surface ribs has a substantially rounded nose profile with upper and lower curved surfaces extending to outer edges of the ribs.
13. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the socket heads is substantially “L” shaped.
14. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the interior channels is molded in substantial relief to a terminal end of the rod.
15. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the sidewalls of the interior channels include a molded-in substantially sine-wave interior profile adapted to fit in mated relation with the surface ribs at a terminal end of the rod.
16. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein the access opening to each of the interior channels has a perimeter geometry substantially matching the cross section of the rod.
17. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the socket cavities is substantially bowl-shaped.
18. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein raised interior ribs extend along walls of each of the socket cavities in a hub and spoke pattern.
19. The linking arm assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein depressed grease grooves extend along walls of the socket cavity in a hub and spoke pattern.
20. A linking arm assembly adapted to receive and retain a ball stud, the assembly comprising:
- an elongated rod of polymeric cross section comprising a first terminal end and a second terminal end, a first plurality of radially projecting, spaced-apart surface ribs disposed adjacent the first terminal end and a second plurality of radially projecting, spaced-apart surface ribs disposed adjacent the second terminal end, wherein the surface ribs define raised surfaces with an intermediate depression between the surface ribs, the first terminal end and the second terminal end each projecting outboard from the surface ribs, the surface ribs defining an effective diameter which is greater than the effective diameter of the adjacent terminal ends and greater than the effective diameter of the portion of the rod inboard from the surface ribs, wherein each of the surface ribs has a substantially rounded nose profile with upper and lower curved surfaces extending to outer edges of the ribs;
- a first socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the first terminal end and a second socket head of unitary molded construction adapted for press-fit attachment to the second terminal end, wherein each of the socket heads is substantially “L” shaped including a socket cradle, a resilient proximal body segment extending away from the socket cradle in a first direction, and a distal collar segment extending away from the socket cradle in a second direction, the proximal body segment including an interior channel with an access opening to the interior channel facing away from the socket cradle, the interior channel adapted to receive a terminal end of the rod and molded in substantial relief to the terminal end of the rod with sidewalls having a substantially sine-wave interior profile adapted to fit in mated relation with the surface ribs at the terminal end of the rod, and wherein the access opening has a perimeter geometry substantially matching the cross section of the rod, the distal collar segment defining a stud insertion passageway substantially aligned with a substantially bowl-shaped socket cavity within the socket cradle adapted to receive and retain a ball structure of the ball stud, wherein the socket cavity includes a plurality of molded in grease grooves extending radially and axially along walls of the socket cradle in a hub and spoke pattern; and
- a flexible sealing boot having a first end adapted for disposition in sealing relation about the distal collar segment and a second end comprising an outer face with a stud acceptance opening adapted to sealingly surround a portion of the ball stud outboard from the ball structure.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2014
Publication Date: Jan 7, 2016
Patent Grant number: 9920788
Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc. (Glenview, IL)
Inventors: Jason K. TROTTER (Des Plaines, IL), Dennis M. MARK (Buffalo Grove, IL)
Application Number: 14/768,483